Ashes of Illusion
by Motomiya Davis
Summary: A final soccer game for the season leads to an injury that the paramedics cannot explain. Davis is covered in bruises and scars that a normal tackle would not cause. The DigiDestined are put in position to question everything they have ever known to be true. Can they escape what's out there and more importantly... the demons within? Thanks to Miss Anon for summary suggestions.


_**Hey everyone! I really enjoyed planning this, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd love to hear some feedback from you guys after you read it. Thanks to IchBinAufKurs for betareading this chapter!**_

**Chapter 1: Defeated**

"Go get them, Davis!" Kari called out from across the field as she saw her close friend make a shot towards the goal.

It was the last match of the season, so it would decide if their soccer team would make it into the international tournament or not. Kari, being part of the cheerleaders at the school, was standing out in the field, cheering on the soccer team.

Davis had been practicing for this match for a while now and it showed with how well he was playing. She watched as he passed the ball to another member of the team and couldn't help but smile. Teamwork was a strength Davis not only had as a soccer player, but as leader of the DigiDestined as well. He had grown so much since all their adventures and had taught them all to never give up, even when the odds were against them. And even now, the other team was surprisingly good, but with his willpower and the group's teamwork, they managed to even out the odds.

Kari, however, was not the only one cheering for Davis. All his friends were in the bleachers, Tai was among them, sitting with DemiVeemon in his lap, both of them screaming loudly at the top of their lungs.

"GO GET 'EM, DAVIS!" Tai screamed as DemiVeemon hopped up and down. They were thrilled to see how well Davis was playing. He had been training harder than anyone for this game. Despite being in college now, soccer was still one of Tai's passions and it definitely was for Davis as well, so he noted each move carefully as if he were a professional soccer coach.

His girlfriend, Sora giggled as she sat beside him. Both her and Tai watched the match, taking notes of how Davis' team was playing. Tai had helped Davis train for the game, as for Sora, the event was a wonderful reminder of how much she used to love the game. Even though she preferred tennis now, soccer lead her to meet the love of her life, so it would always hold a special place in her heart.

Mimi cringed at the loudness of Tai's voice. However, she felt that scolding someone for being loud would be hypocritical of her as she was known for being rather loud herself, so instead she turned to her boyfriend Ken to say something. Ken looked amused, but simply took Mimi's hand in his own.

"Let him have some fun," Ken smiled. "We're here to support Davis." He wasn't as loud as the others, but he had his ways of showing his support. Since this was a big deal, he had put together some funds to throw Davis a party before the actual soccer game took place. Mimi had helped with the decorations and everyone else had pitched in to help.

The pink-haired girl turned her attention back to the game, but she looked rather confused. Ken had tried to explain the rules of the game to her many times. While she did understand better with each time he explained, it still usually went over her head. The others had tried to tell him that Mimi wouldn't really understand, but Ken still wanted try to help her.

T.K. was also yelling and cheering on his friend's team, his brother Matt and Yolei on either side of him. Despite their constant bickering, the two were good friends. T.K. knew how important this was for Davis and although he never showed his nervousness, it was obvious by his distraction at the party they'd held for him earlier that day. This match was a win or lose situation for the team.

Matt, while not usually showing much emotion, was also there with a smile on his face. Like Ken, he provided silent support of encouragement before the match, but even now, his enthusiasm for the game could be clearly seen on his face. This was his successor, after all. Even though at times he didn't really understand the boy as much as Tai did, he hoped his team would manage to win the game.

Yolei seemed to be competing with Tai to be the loudest one there. She was a bit further away from Mimi, so it didn't bother her as much as Tai did. This time, she was much more supportive for Davis than she'd been in the previous game when she was crushing on Ken. She still remembered how broken up she'd been when she heard that Ken was dating Mimi. Mimi was dear to her, so she pretended to be happy for them, but luckily for her, T.K. was in the neighborhood and he was always willing to lend an ear when she needed it. Now, she had moved on from it almost completely and was able to move on with her life.

While Cody and Joe were not openly cheering, they were showing their support by keeping a close eye on the game. Joe wanted to make sure if anything bad happened, he'd be ready for it, but at the same time he hoped things would finish over without any emergencies.

Davis's entire family was there to be supportive. Jun was jumping up and down, cheering excitedly with her best friend Momoe right besides her, hiding a smile at Jun's antics. She had never seen Jun so excited, especially over something regarding Davis, so it was nice to see such a positive change.

* * *

Davis was about to shoot the final goal, the goal that was sure to lead them to victory, when a blur appeared. A person from the opposing team tackled him. Something like that would have normally only gotten him hurt, but this person bit into his flesh and a blue ball appeared in his hands, entering his stomach. It was as if a sudden shock had gone into his system, freezing his entire body for a split second.

"V-Veemon!" He subconsciously called out. He felt as if someone had inserted a sedation needle inside him, but not one that calmed him down. The pain seared through him as if someone were cutting his flesh. His vision became blurry. He wanted to call out for Veemon, Kari and his friends, but found his throat was getting dry. The words were forming in his head, but he couldn't say them out loud. The last thing he heard was Kari screaming his name before his world went black.

* * *

Kari's smile was wiped off her face as horror replaced her previous happiness. She felt her knees go weak as Davis was suddenly tackled, but there was something odd that sent chills down her spine. The way the person attacked Davis was not a normal tackle. She had seen plenty soccer games and that wasn't only cheating, it seemed off somehow, but she couldn't exactly pick up how.

Her legs grew numb as if she had lost the ability to move. She felt one of her fellow cheerleaders pull at her, snapping her out of the state of shock. _Davis needed her. _The others were probably too far to see what had happened, but she was certain that they had seen the fall and would be right over. However, she ran towards her fallen friend, kneeling down besides him.

"D-Davis," Her fingers trembled slightly as she pulled him to lay his head on her lap. The recent events made her lose composure and almost started crying. Her blue skirt had turned a blood-red color, but that was only one thing that frightened her. A large, blue spot had appeared on Davis's soccer shirt. From a distance, it looked like blue hair dye, but it didn't make any sense for Davis to dye part of his shirt blue. Inside the blue was a light reddish color that seemed almost like a scratch mark.

Kari's eyes narrowed as she looked up in search for the boy who had done this to him. Her eyes widened as she saw him in a corner, suddenly disintegrating into pieces of data as if he had never been there to begin with. _Just who was he? _She banished that thought from her head. They needed to call an ambulance. She got out her cell phone and dialed the number. She tried to keep her voice from shaking as she explained the situation to them before hanging up.

The brunette glanced back at the others and could see movement within the bleachers. She could tell they knew something had happened, but hadn't been able to get there as quick as her. This wasn't fair, Davis should be able to win one decent match without troubles from the digital world, or so she thought. This definitely did not seem like an accident. It seemed like a plan and whoever came up with it was going to pay dearly.


End file.
